Hexagram 22, line 4
六四Line 4 of Adornment
Six in the fourth place · 賁 bì
爻辭 The line text
賁如皤如，白馬翰如，匪寇婚媾。The fourth line, divided, shows one looking as if adorned, but only in white. As if (mounted on) a white horse, and furnished with wings, (he seeks union with the subject of the first line), while (the intervening third pursues), not as a robber, but intent on a matrimonial alliance.
六四，當位疑也。匪寇婚媾，終无尤也。'The place occupied by the fourth line, divided,' affords ground for doubt (as to its subject); but '(as the subject of the third pursues) not as a robber, but as intent on a matrimonial alliance,' he will in the end have no grudge against him.
In plain words
Line four is 'adorned, but in white' — plain, unpainted — and 'a white horse flies' toward its proper partner, the strong first line, with the third line standing between them. The text resolves the alarm: 'not a robber, a suitor.' Line four is yin in a yin place, correct, and the small Image concedes that its position gives ground for doubt (當位疑也) before promising that in the end there is no grudge (終無尤也). The commentators read line three as the obstacle that turns out to be benign; what looked like an interception was a courtship all along. Having crossed into Gen, stillness, ornament here begins to fade toward white.
If this line is changing
The one who seems to be standing in your way may be coming to you with good intent; hold your course plainly, without extra show, and let the doubt resolve on its own.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 艮 Gen (Keeping Still) (mountain).
- It corresponds (應) with line 1: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
賁 Adornment becomes ䷝ 30 離 Brightness (Fire)
Fire upon fire: brightness that clings to what feeds it. Success through correctness and clarity; tend the flame like a docile cow — gently and continuously.
What it becomes30 · 離 Brightness (Fire)líThe six lines of 賁 Adornment
- 初九Nine at the beginningadorning the feet · walking not riding · integrity first
- 六二Six in the second placeadorning the beard · moving with the chin · ornament follows
- 九三Nine in the third placeglossy and bedewed · lasting steadiness · never overrun
- 六四Six in the fourth placewhite adornment · the white horse · a suitor not a robber
- 六五Six in the fifth placehills and gardens · a modest bundle of silk · stingy but good
- 上九Nine at the topwhite adornment · plain at the end · aim attained
Read 賁 Adornment for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the fourth place of hexagram 22, Adornment, mean?
- Line four is 'adorned, but in white' — plain, unpainted — and 'a white horse flies' toward its proper partner, the strong first line, with the third line standing between them. The text resolves the alarm: 'not a robber, a suitor.' Line four is yin in a yin place, correct, and the small Image concedes that its position gives ground for doubt (當位疑也) before promising that in the end there is no grudge (終無尤也). The commentators read line three as the obstacle that turns out to be benign; what looked like an interception was a courtship all along. Having crossed into Gen, stillness, ornament here begins to fade toward white.
- What does hexagram 22 become when line 4 changes?
- Adornment becomes hexagram 30, 離 Brightness (Fire): Fire upon fire: brightness that clings to what feeds it. Success through correctness and clarity; tend the flame like a docile cow — gently and continuously.
- Is line 4 of Adornment in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).